The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday said that “pandemic fatigue” is happening to everyone, and is counting on health protocols to control the COVID-19 spread in the Philippines.
“We are all experiencing this fatigue — this pandemic fatigue. We know that almost all of our citizens want to return to how it was before,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said during a virtual briefing.
“But we always remind everyone that we will never go back to how it was before. That is why we now have the new normal,” she said.
The World Health Organization had earlier said that Europe is facing a rise in “pandemic fatigue” months into the COVID-19 crisis.
The new normal would ensure that even though the COVID-19 virus exists, “we would still be protected if we are going to comply with these minimum health standards,” Vergeire said. Living in the new normal involves little sacrifices such as the wearing of face masks and face shields, physical distancing and frequent hand washing, she added.
1,910 new COVID-19 cases logged
The Philippines logged on Wednesday 1,910 new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, bringing the total to 346,536, the Department of Health (DOH) reported.
The DOH reported 579 recoveries, bringing to 293,860 the number of patients who have recovered from the disease.
The DOH also reported 78 new fatalities, bringing the death toll to 6,449.
This left 46,227 active cases in the country, 84.5 percent of which are mild; 10.5 percent of which are asymptomatic; 1.6 percent of which are severe; and 1.3 percent of which are critical.
390,000 cases seen by end-October
THE Philippines will reach some 390,000 cases of COVID-19 by end of the month, Prof. Guido David, a member of the OCTA Research Team analyzing coronavirus data in the country, said Wednesday.
However, David said the pandemic is on a downward trend as daily new cases in the capital region decline, the analyst said in an interview on ANC’s Headstart.
“This is not supposed to be alarming because we’re still getting about 2,000 cases per day but we’re seeing the trend is decreasing,” he said.
Daily COVID-19 cases could decline to 500 to 600 by end of the month if quarantine measures remain, David said in a separate interview with ABS-CBN’s Teleradyo.
If the number falls to 200 to 300 by the end of November, that would be more manageable, making it easier to reopen the economy, he added.
Calabarzon posts highest new cases
THE Department of Health-Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) on Tuesday recorded the highest number of positive COVID-19 individuals in the region with 1,175 cases which is 139.80 percent higher than Oct. 12, 2020 with only 490 cases.
A total of 45,068 individuals have tested positive of the virus.
The province of Cavite has the most number of active cases recorded at 13,555, Regional Director Eduardo C. Janairo said. Laguna had 5,414 cases.